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Readers — Either I am not getting the joke, or this is a REAL article about why parents should REALLY worry about letting their kids watch “scary” movies like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and (I kid you not — unless she’s kidding us ALL), “Miracle on 34th Street.” Anybody? It it a joke or not? […]

Hi Readers! If you’re wondering what would make a great gift for your kids, or some other kids you love, how about giving them back time outside, and playdates that they make on their own, and the thrill of doing something — anything! — on their own? My book, Free-Range Kids, can help. (And it’s […]

Hi Readers — I wholeheartedly endorse this note! Dear Free-Range Kids: Recently I started watching hours of “Law and Order SVU” (streaming live on Netflix for graduate students wanting to procrastinate!) and it’s really quite absurd to watch after a year of following your blog. The episodes where there is a child abduction or attempted abduction […]

Hi Readers — Here you snow. er, go, from Scotland, via news.scotsman.com: CHILDREN have been banned from playing in the snow during break times at city schools due to health and safety fears. Pupils in some primaries have been kept inside during their morning and lunchtime breaks since the schools re-opened on Wednesday.The decision to […]

Good Morning, Readers: Wondering what to get those parents on your list? Dear Free-Range Kids: I thought you might be interested to see this. A local dentist was advertising this service. http://www.yoursafechild.com/parents-toothprintsr.html Now if your child’s body is found but so decomposed that it can’t be identified visually, you can use “toothprints” to record his/her dental […]

Hi Readers: Let kids eat dirt? Yes! At least, that’s my take-away from reading this thought-provoking article. It discusses the work of Emory neuroscientist Charles Raison, MD, who studies the link between cleanliness and depression. His hypothesis is that maybe young people are experiencing more asthma, allergies and even depression because they are less exposed to the benign […]

Oh Readers — I can’t take it. Look at this crazy “news” story from the Cortez Journal in Colorado: An unidentified man entered a high school. He used the bathroom, left and asked some students to give him a ride, which they did. Said the paper: ﻿ No weapons were visible on the man, who was […]

Hi Readers: Here’s one of many incensed folks who is slamming the parents who had left their baby in the car for a few seconds when along came a carjacker. (Video below.) The parents — right nearby — valiantly broke the window, climbed in and stopped the guy. But many commenters are saying SHAME ON THEM. They were “irresponsible” for being out of […]

Hi Readers — Thanks to all of you who sent in the wackiest “What If?” worry of the weekend: News reports that the new Video Barbie — a Barbie with a built-in video camera — “could” be used by child pornographers. The key word for us is “could.” The key words for the media? “Barbie,” “child […]

Hi Readers! Over at Lisa Belkin’s Motherlode at the NY Times, there’s a really frank and nicely written piece by a woman who came to the exact opposite conclusion I did. She was mulling whether or not to hire a male babysitter for her child. On the one hand, the young man she interviewed seemed […]